hand sewing, quilting, embroidery and cottage life in the Scottish countryside

A bag theme

Tuesday of this week was not a great day: emergency brake for a deer; I forgot Sol’s nursery bag; I dropped the camera on the concrete floor of the sun porch; Otis was spectacularly sick all over the laptop keyboard; and upon moving the sofa to remove the vomit-soaked cover, I discovered rather more mouse poo underneath it than I perhaps would have liked. Par for the course, I hear you say. Living in the country with small children=wildlife and vomit. So true. So the laptop was out of order for a while, but seems to have survived.

Despite my terrible blog negligence, I have been trying my hardest to keep up the sewing. A bit of a pattern developing here: bags! I made a drawstring bag for baby Theo (of the big quilt) who is now, incredibly, one year old. It features a vintage Ferguson tractor in the appropriate grey-coloured embroidery thread. This is possibly more for his parents’ (or more likely father’s) benefit! He seemed to like the wrapping paper anyway.

I also took a deep breath and scissors to my new Lotta Jansdotter fabric.

And made a peg bag- not the most glamorous or possibly long-lived project, but fitting to William Morris’ adage of having nothing in one’s house that one does not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. And in a humble way, I think this is both.

I have been getting quite carried away with knitting dreams, after discovering the very talented and eloquent Kate Davies, who has a real passion and flair for Shetland’s Fair Isle designs. I can’t pinch any of her photos so you must have a look at her blog, her designs, and this incredible blanket. It’s hand knitted. Really.

So another few things have been added on to my enormous WLTM list. But for now I must finish off a house warming present and that god-forsaken quilt.